Broom-holder



H. D. NEFF.

BROOM HOLDER.

APPLICATION man FEB.16.1920.

1,367,753. Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY D. NEFF, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 RE-FILIT BROOMCOMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

IBROOM-HOLDEE.

Application led February 16, 1920.

To (1.77 Vwhom t may concern.'

lie. it known that I, HARRY D. NEFF, a citizen of the United States. andresident of (lmnhridge` in the county of Middlesex and State otlllassachusetts. have invented an Improvement in Broom-Holders, of whichthe following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a specification` like letters on the drawings representing likeparts.

My present invention relates to brooms, and more particularly to aholder for brooms and the like wherein a plurality of broom or brushelements may be removably held in operative position.

In brooms of this type, various methods have been employed to hold abroom or brush element in operative position within the holder. whileyet allowing the broom or brush element to bc removed therefrom. Suchmethods are successful in that the broom or brush element may be held inand removed Jfrom the holder, but are unsuccessul in that they do notcarry out the real object sought for, viz., the ability to replace theworn out elements ot the broom or brush unit. In all cases, the broom orbrush unit is a unit, and as a broom invariably wears out first at thecorners, the unit is thrown away while the fibers inthe center of theunit are, for all practical purposes, as good as new.

I have endeavored to remedy the detects above pointed out, and to thisend have devised a broom or brush unit composed of a plurality ot'separate and independent elements, and my improved holder is devisedwith a chamber in which the desired number of elements, to build up abroom or brush unit, may be placed. As the broom or brush willinvariably wear out at the corners, leaving the center as good as new,it is only necessary for me to replace the worn out elements with newones to be again in possession ot a new broom. The chamber, abovereferred to. is arranged with its lower front and back walls defining arelatively narrow passage in which the bundles oi fibers composing thebroom or brush elements are compressed` this compressing actionmaterially aiding in holding the broom or brush unit in position. Toform a better element and to provide an element that will pack betterinto the chamber ot' the holder I surround the upper ends of the bers ofSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

seran No. 359,158.

each element with a metallic sleeve, cap or ring and, in addition to theusual means of securing the fibers in the holder, I pass a bolt, rivetor staple through the walls of the sleeve or cap from side to side.

As the corners of the broom wear out first, and as to replace the wornout elements it is necessary to remove all the elements from the holder,I have provided a cover for the chamber of the holder, such cover beinglocated at one end of the chamber. such cover, when open, allowing readyaccess to the chamber for the removal or replacement of the elements,and when closed, materially assists in retaining the elements inposition. 4,

An objectief my invention therefore, is the provision of an improvedholder for a sectional brush unit.

Another object is the provision of an im proved brush element.

In the accompanying drawing, illustratitng the preferred embodiment ofmy invenion,-

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section,

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 oi Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, my holder comprises front, back and endwalls, 10. 11 and 12, respectively` attached to a rounded upperportion'13, having an opening 14 for the reception of the usual broomhandle 15. The end wall 12 flares outwardly and downwardly from itspoint ot engagement with the rounded portion 13. The front and backwalls 10 and 11. respectively flare inwardly and downwardly from thepoint of engagement with the rounded portion 13 to a point intermediatetheir ends, and then extend straight downwardly from such intermediatepoint and parallel to each other, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. At thepoint of engagement of the front, back and endwalls with the roundedupper portion is a wall or diaphragm 16, which may be secured to therounded portion in any suit- 13 are preferably formed of a single pieceof sheet metal, hard rubber, fiber or the like though they may be formedeach of a separate piece of metal and joined together in any suitablemanner, as by soldering, brazing or welding.

Pivotally mounted on the rounded upper portion at the junction thereofwith the front and back walls l() and 11 respectively, and at the endremote from the end wall 12, is a cover or closure 18, which when inposition to cover the end of the chamber above defined, fia-resdownwardly and outwardly in a manner similar to the end wall 12. Again,the contour of the cover or closure 18 is similar to the end wall 12.The cover or closure 18 is provided with a plurality of inwardlyprojecting curved lips 19, which engage with the inner faces of thefront and back walls 10 and 11 respectively, and aid in holding thecover or closure in closed position, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The front, back and end walls, 10, 11 and 12 respectively, together withthe wall or diaphragm 16, define an elongated chamber, in which may bepositioned a plurality of broom or brush elements, each comprising abundle 21 of broom corn or other suitable fibers, held together at theupper or stalk end by a metallic sleeve 22. This sleeve is formed sothat the end walls, as viewed in Fig. 1, are parallel to each other,while the front and back walls, as viewed in Fig. 2, are tapered toconform with that part ot the chamber defined by the downwardly andinwardly sloped portions of the front and back walls 1() and 11. Thecap, ring or sleeve is made from a section of metallic tubing, and afterthe section is slipped over the stalk end of the fibers, a rivet 23 ispassed through the section of tubing and through the fibers. the tubingbeing at the same time slightly flattened. This reduces what may betermed the lower front and back dimensions of the tubing, to allow thebrush element to fit into the chamber defined by the front, back and endwalls. The length of the sleeve 22 is considerably less than the lengthof that part of the chamber defined by the downward and inward slopedportions of the front and back walls 10 and 11, and therefore thediameter vot the lower end of said sleeve or cap is greater than theWidth of that portion of the chamber defined by the parallel portions ofthe front and back walls. The bundle of fibers therefore, of an elementmust be compressed to fit within said last named portion of the chamber.and the lower portions of the front and back walls thus aid in holdingthe elements in the chamber. i

By swinging the cover or closure 18 to eX- pose the end of the chamber,I may insert a plurality of elements within the chamber, as

shown in Fig. 1, or if the outer ones of the group of elements are worn,new elements may be substituted therefor.

rIhe provision vof' thc cover or closure on the end of the chamber aidsin securing the plurality of elements within the chamber, and protectssuch elements from injury, as well as rendering the broom holder moresightly.

While I have described my invention somewhat in detail, it is to beunderstood that I may vary the size, shape and arrangement of partsshown within wide limits without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A holder `for a plurality of compressible brush elements adapted tobe removably and replaceably confined therein, comprising a casing openat the bottom end and having a brush receiving compartment and an endopening through which the brush elements may be inserted into saidcompartment, said casing below said compartment providing a brushclamping portion against which the brush elements may expand, and apivoted closure for said filling opening adapted to engage the front andback walls.

2. A holder for a plurality of brush elements adapted to be removablyand replaceably confined therein, comprising a rounded upper portion,front and back walls attached to the lower edges thereof and eX- tendinginwardly and downwardly from their upper end to a point intermediatetheir ends and from thence downwardly parallel to but spaced apart fromeach other, an end wall attached to the upper rounded portion and thefront and back walls, a diaphragm at the point of engagement of therounded upper portion with the front, back, and end walls. and a closurefor the end of the chamber pivotally mounted at the lower edge of therounded upper portion at the end remote from the end wall.

3. In combination with a broom holder having an elongated chamber at itsupper

